What's next for Rhymefest? South Side songwriter previews film, music projects

South Side songwriter-activist Rhymefest said Chicago's musical talent should come together as a community to give back to the neighborhoods with more than just annual toy giveaways.

"We could do more for more people together," Rhymefest told the Tribune. "This is the aspiration. We don't have any like beef or hard feelings or, you know, jealousies. All I see is what the opportunity could bring if it happened. I'm starting to see that. And it makes me wonder, and it goes beyond a Chance and a Rhymefest or a Common and a Kanye."

Rhymefest talks the "sound of Chicago" on an episode of "The A.V. Club Hosted by John Teti" that is scheduled to air 8 p.m. Thursday on Fusion TV. The weekly show is taped at a West Town production space.

Rhymefest's appearance comes weeks after he performed at the Blues Festival in Millennium Park. The 40-year-old Grammy and Oscar winner, who was born Che Smith, worked with AARP to create the intergenerational music program Bridges to the Blues to connect young musicians with established blues artists.

He's concerned about preserving Chicago's black cultural legacy and emphasized that artists need to dismiss the "narrative of one" and recognize their accomplishments stem from team efforts.

For his part, Rhymefest said he's reconciled with Kanye West, his longtime collaborator. As West debuted "The Life of Pablo" and reignited his feud with Taylor Swift in February 2016, Rhymefest tweeted that West needs to undergo spiritual and mental counseling and step out of the public eye.

"We're brothers, that's what brothers do, and then we called each other, 'How are you doing and how are your children? And maybe if you do this or that.' That's what family does. For all intents and purposes, his mother was my mother too," Rhymefest said.

Rhymefest, who co-wrote West's hits "Jesus Walks" and "New Slaves," and his wife Donnie run Donda's House, an organization supporting Chicago's young aspiring artists that is named for West's late mother Donda.

He said he collaborated with two Donda's House alumni on one of the songs for "The Public," Emilio Estevez's upcoming drama that follows a standoff between police and Cincinnati library patrons -- many of whom are homeless and mentally ill. Rhymefest plays a homeless man who helps lead the library occupation.

He is also recording an album with DJ Jazzy Jeff and working on a project to help barbers and estheticians spot trauma and deliver mild therapy in their communities -- an idea that stemmed from Rhymefest being robbed at gunpoint in the Bronzeville area in August 2016.

Not on the docket: Running for alderman anytime soon. In 2011, he lost to South Side Ald. Willie Cochran (20th), who pleaded not guilty last year to federal charges that allege he misused charity funds. Rhymefest said he may consider another candidacy when he's "done setting the world on fire."

"I just did a film with Emilio Estevez where I'm going head to head with Alec Baldwin. Gabrielle Union jumped in my arms and looked at me in the face and said, 'You're my hero.' At that point, how could I run for city council right now? Like, I got things to do. I got money to bring back to the South Side. I got kids to grow. I've got villages to build here," he said.